


The Tree of Plenty

by Idnis



Series: The Tree of Plenty [1]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Greed Island Arc, M/M, Valentine's Day, a bit of heavy making out, and more oblivious gon, and pining killua, angst and chocorobots, plenty trees in this fanfic, there's oblivious gon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 10:55:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9720590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idnis/pseuds/Idnis
Summary: Because of an interesting Greed Island card, Gon gets sent to another universe, but it's not bad at all. Actually, Gon thinks, it's pretty great that he and Killua have become such good friends that they give each other goodbye kisses now!Obviously, Gon thought wrong.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello HxH fandom! *sweats nervously  
> I started this fanfic in December and gave myself the challenge to finish it before Valentine's Day, since the story sort of revolves around it. And look at that, it's finished! I could probably edit it a million times over, but sometimes you just got to let them go. I hope you have a happy Valentine's Day, and if possible, that you get a large ChocoRobot as a present!  
> Enjoy :)

Somehow it’s always hot on Greed Island. Not that Gon’s complaining. He can handle the heat just fine. He knows Bisky sometimes complains about not bringing a summer dress, but Gon can just take his jacket off if it gets too warm so Greed Island has been fun for him so far.  
Another thing that has been fun, is that Gon gets to practice and perfect his nen with Bisky’s help. Though Killua was a bit suspicious about her at first, Gon is really glad that she joined their team.  
After defeating the Bomber, they continued on their quest to collect the remaining game’s cards. Gon _really_ wants to win the game fair and square.  
  
They are currently walking through some forest or another (Gon is not the one who plans their routes), almost closing in on the destination of card number 9, the Tree of Plenty. Bisky is telling them a story about how she met the now famous actress Sakura.  
‘And I’m telling you boys, she was very,’ Bisky’s voice lowers, ‘ _very_ ugly.’  
Gon has no idea who this Sakura person is, but Killua gasps in shock. ‘What? But she’s one of the most beautiful actresses now!’  
Bisky nods gravely at them. ‘Yes,’ she says smugly. ‘But bear in mind, she was, or well, I guess she still is, very kind. Anyway, after talking for a night and discovering that we had a lot in common, she told me her life story and how she always wanted to be an actress.’  
Bisky wipes away a tear.  
‘So I said to her: “I will help you Sakura. I will make you the prettiest of them all!”’  
Killua looks incredulous at her. ‘You did not!’  
‘I did,’ Bisky smiles mischievously . ‘And what a fine job I did.’  
Their conversation goes on, Killua being very sceptical about Bisky’s story, and it’s probably because the men don’t have a lot of nen power, but the trio doesn’t notice the group of four until they suddenly jump from the bushes and onto the path before them.  
‘Hold!’ one of them yells, while the other three summon their books. Gon responses by summoning his book as well. He notices that neither Bisky nor Killua summon theirs, and it only confirms what he sees. These men are not very strong.  
They yell the predictable, ‘give us all your cards!’ at them, but Gon is not impressed. Neither is Killua.  
‘Ha, never! Go find your own cards, losers,’ he yells back at them. The men respond with more rude remarks and Gon loses his patience a little.  
‘Are you going to challenge me or not?’ he asks.  
The man in the front now focuses on Gon and grins confidently.  
‘You bet I am.’  
  
                                                                                  0o0o0o0  
  
‘What a bunch of losers.’  
Killua crosses his arms behind his head. ‘Threatening to take our cards but instead we totally overpowered them and took _their_ cards!’  
He grins at Gon, who smiles back happily.  
Then this thing happens, that started happening a while back. Killua’s grin falters a bit and he just looks at Gon for a few seconds. Then just when Gon starts thinking there must be something on his face, Killua smiles again. It’s a softer smile this time.  
‘Good job, Gon!’  
Gon doesn’t know what to make of it.  
  
They set up camp for the night, still in the unspecified forest (Gon should probably study the map more). Because of the little scuffle, they didn’t manage to get much closer to the supposed destination of card number 9. Killua whines about how the hell they are supposed to find one tree in a whole forest of trees. Gon argues that he will probably recognize it, because it _has_ to look different, while Bisky ignores them in favour of getting her shoulders massaged by Cookie. After half an hour she orders them to find two big stones to sleep with and nobody thinks about the failed robbery or the four men again.  
  
But when they’re all sleeping, Gon and Killua with rocks above their heads and Bisky on a comfortable piece of moss, one of the defeated men returns. He crouches behind a few large bushes, and leans forward to observe the three children more closely but he instantly yelps. His hand is bleeding and the man swears when he looks more closely at the bush. Thorns.  
By some miracle, none of the children woke up. Then again, he thinks, they _are_ just children.  
Children who defeated him. The man grits his teeth. How dare they.  
Quietly, he summons his book and searches through the pages. He will curse those brats for taking away some of his valuable cards, including… the one he had wanted to use on them.  
The man swears again, because this will complicate things, but before he can turn around and give up, his gaze lands on a peculiar card called Hypothetical World. He only has one of these, and he doubts it will be as useful as the one he had in mind, but… it could create some chaos.  
Being careful not to make any more sound, the man takes the card and whispers ‘Gain’, before pointing the acquired remote at Gon.  
This is perfect. While the others will be worrying about their friend, said friend will be transported to another world. How stressful that must be.  
The man grins.  
  
                                                                                  0o0o0o0  
  
When Gon wakes up the next morning, it’s not on the forest ground on Greed Island but in a soft bed with a lot of pillows. He looks around the unfamiliar but cosy room, pushing himself into a sitting position to get a better look when he notices that his arms are a bit longer and more muscled. Curious, Gon throws off his blanket.  
He’s just checking out his legs when a voice shakes him out of his research. It’s Killua’s, Gon recognizes, but he looks and sounds a few years older, which is weird, and he’s rushing towards Gon.  
‘I’m sorry Gon, but I have to go to my job now.’ Killua sounds stressed. ‘Man, I can’t believe I let you convince me to watch a whole season of that show last night while I had to get up early today,’ Killua sighs and climbs on the bed. Gon bounces up and down a bit.  
‘Anyway,’ Killua leans forward, ‘I’m off. See you later, Gon.’  
And then Killua does something that takes a second or two for it to register in Gon’s head.  
His body helpfully supplies him with the information. He sees Killua leaning in. He smells Killua’s scent, which Gon always thought smelled nice. And he feels Killua’s lips press against his own. They are soft and warm.  
Well, it’s not weird that someone is warm, Gon thinks. But it’s weird that Gon’s body somehow starts glowing in response, telling him that this.  
This kiss.  
It is _right_.  
By the time Gon has processed all of the signals his body is giving him, Killua is already out the door. **  
**  
                                                                                  0o0o0o0  
Gon searches the cosy bedroom for clues, but finds nothing that tells him how, why or where he is. He supposes the bedroom must be Killua and his. On the side where he woke up, there are a few of his things, including the ring that Ging gave him, and on the other side Gon sees one of Killua’s yo-yo’s and a portable game console.  
There are a few goofy pictures of them on the wall and a few with Leorio and Kurapika, and there’s one with Zushi, oh, and that’s with Bisky. Gon feels himself smiling as he’s looking at all the photos. It’s nice to have fun memories with his friends on the wall. The photos would probably cheer Gon up if he has a bad day. Then he spots one of just Killua and him. In the picture, Gon has his lips squashed against Killua’s and Killua is blushing very badly, but.  
Killua also looks very happy. Gon shifts his gaze and looks at his own face in the picture.  
He looks just as happy.  
  
His body is doing the weird thing again, where it’s almost lighting up and telling him not so subtly that this picture makes him very happy. That is weird. It isn’t even Gon’s own memory.  
  
After some more searching, he also finds out that they don’t just own a bedroom, but a small apartment as well. It’s furnished simple but tasteful and Gon suspects that this must be Killua’s influence. After looking through some very normal and boring cupboards and drawers in the kitchen and the hall, Gon suddenly spots a calendar hanging beside the door leading outside. The calendar announces that it’s four years later than his own time period and it is, to be precise, February the 13 th. Gon rushes towards the calendar, trying to find more clues, but it’s a tear-off one and nobody is going to write anything on the future pag-  
There, written with a black pen next to ‘February the 14th’, are the words: “I love you Killua!” with a crudely drawn heart. Gon apparently hasn’t gotten any better at drawing them.  
  
Okay, the calendar gives him a little more context. He’s older now, and so is Killua. They have a small house together. He loves Killua. Gon frowns. Well, of course he loves Killua. Killua is his best friend after all. That isn’t anything new. But then suddenly, there’s the feeling of soft and warm lips against his and Killua’s bright eyes as he tells him _“See you later, Gon”_.  
Killua sounded so happy being able to say that. Gon smiles. It’s great that he and Killua have remained best friends. They are probably even closer than before, seeing as Killua gave him a goodbye kiss.  
He nods. That’s good to know. But it doesn’t help him figuring out what to do now. Gon supposes he has to get back to his own time, because there are a lot of things he still needs and wants to do, like win Greed Island and talk to Ging. Introduce Killua to Ging. Get even better at his nen.  
  
So he has to find a way back then.  
  
When the doorbell rings, Gon jumps back a bit. He was so lost in thought at trying to figure out the next step in his newly acquired goal that he didn’t sense anyone approaching the front, err, _his_ front door. He opens it with a smile.  
‘Hello!’  
In front of him is a disinterested and bored looking guy, scowling a bit at the clipboard in his hands. He looks up at Gon and appears irritated at his smile.  
‘Okay,’ the guy says slowly. ‘um. I want to tell you that the package you ordered is a bit late. As in, it’s perhaps a bit lost.’  
Gon stares in confusion at the man. The package?  
The man sighs. ‘Look, they are searching for it right now, so it will probably arrive tonight or tomorrow. Don’t worry, your valentine gift will arrive on time.’  
This makes more sense to Gon, but at the same time it doesn’t.  
‘I have a valentine?’ he asks surprised. The man scowls again.  
‘I’m guessing you do, unless you aren’t Gon Freeccs and I just ruined a surprise meant for you.’  
 ‘Huh?’ is all Gon can say, so the man forces his clipboard in his face, pointing at his own name.  
‘See? It says here that Gon Freeccs ordered a customized, extra-large ChocoRobot. Though I don’t know anyone who could eat such a large amount of chocolate.’ The man mutters.  
A ChocoRobot as a valentine’s gift? Chocolate is a pretty traditional and sweet valentine’s gift, but wouldn’t it be better to give something… fancier? Well, Gon supposes, unless someone really likes Choco… Robots. He freezes and slowly turns his head towards the delivery guy, staring at him in shock.  
The delivery guy just shrugs.  
‘Hey man, it’s probably not that bad. You can just share the chocolate with them, right?’  
Before Gon can find it in him to reply, the delivery guy tucks his clipboard in his backpack and turns around.  
‘Anyway, I gotta go now, but I’ll probably see you later. With an embarrassingly large ChocoRobot.’  
Gon manages to nod dumbly at the guy, still catching up to his own thoughts, and watches him walk away from his door until he is almost around the corner-  
It hits Gon. It _really_ hits him this time.  
‘Killua likes ChocoRobots!’ he screams his revelation at the delivery guy, who instantly winces and turns around, scowling.  
‘Geez dude, okay, okay. I won’t doubt his love for chocolate!’  
But Gon has already closed his front door and is rushing back towards the calendar. He flips the page and reads the note next to tomorrow’s date again.  
  
“ _I love you Killua!”  
_  
                                                                               0o0o0o0 _  
  
_ Gon has the whole day to think about what this means. And by this, he means the little scribbled note next to February the 14th and the gift that he apparently ordered for his valentine. For Killua.  
  
Perhaps he should call one of his friends. They can probably explain to him what _this_ means.  
  
After a few rings, Kurapika picks up.  
‘Hey Gon, how are you?’  
Oh, Gon thinks. Where should he start? He called Kurapika because he is the smartest person Gon knows beside Killua. He will probably know what to do if Gon asks him very clearly.  
‘Why is Killua my valentine?’  
There is a silence from the other end of the line. Gon paces in front of the calendar.  
‘Because you love him?’ Kurapika answers and Gon can hear the suspicion in his voice. But this answers doesn’t help him. Gon groans.  
‘Yes, I know that already. But why did I pick him as my valentine?’  
Again, silence. Why is Kurapika thinking so hard?  
‘Um, Gon, is everything alright?’  
‘Huh, why do you ask?’  
‘It’s just,’ Kurapika hesitates. ‘This is a bit of a weird question for you, that’s all.’  
‘Why?’ Gon asks again.  
‘Well, for quite some time, you have been practically shouting at the world, and literally at Killua, that you love him.’  
Gon is a bit surprised.  
‘I have?’  
Kurapika makes an affirmative sound. When Gon really thinks about it, it’s not that weird. He is proud to be Killua’s best friend. It doesn’t explain the valentine’s gift though.  
‘I know I love Killua very much. I just don’t know why I would pick him as my valentine.’  
Kurapika lets out a short laugh.  
‘It’s almost as if I’m talking to the Gon from four years ago,’ he snickers. ‘No seriously Gon, is everything alright between you and Killua?’  
‘I think so?’  
‘That’s good.’  
Kurapika seems to think for a moment before speaking again: ‘Gon, you have picked Killua as your valentine for a few years now because you love him and, I’m quoting you directly now by the way, you want him to be the happiest he can be.’  
This silences Gon.  
  
                                                                                0o0o0o0

His next choice is Leorio.  
It’s not that his call with Kurapika didn’t give him any information, but Gon has the idea that he’s not getting something. It’s as if Kurapika has just explained a really difficult math problem to him. Gon knows he’s hearing the answer, but he can’t really make any sense of it. Leorio will probably explain things in a way that’s easier for Gon to understand.  
  
It takes five rings for Leorio to pick up. His voice sounds rough.  
‘Ugh, what d’you want Gon?’  
‘You sound like you just woke up Leorio!’  
‘I did just wake up,’ Leorio groans.  
Gon walks into the living room to look at the clock hanging near the fridge.  
‘But it’s already 10.30!’  
‘Exactly! That’s way too early. Do you think I have nothing better to do in the evenings than sleep?’  
Gon gives it an honest thought, but he can’t think of anything.  
‘I don’t know actually. What _do_ you do in the evening?’  
Leorio groans again.  
‘Man, Gon, you’re hurting my feelings. You know I’ve been working on my game.’  
At this, Gon frowns.  
‘Gambling isn’t good for you, Leorio.’  
Leorio laughs at the other end of the line.  
‘But anyway, now that I’m awake. Was there something you needed?’  
Gon drops himself onto the couch. It’s really comfortable.  
‘Yeah, actually. Leorio, why is Killua my valentine?’  
‘Huh?’  
‘Why is Killua my valentine?’  
‘You’re asking me?’  
Gon nods.  
‘I am.’  
‘Well, uh, because you have been together for so long?’  
‘Yes I know, we’re best friends.’  
Leorio chuckles.  
‘That’s one of the reasons I guess.’  
‘There’s more?’ Gon perks up. Perhaps now Leorio will explain it to him. But Leorio only starts laughing harder.  
‘God, I hope so for you. But from the way you two look at each other sometimes, I’m guessing everything is okay there too… right?’  
‘There?’  
‘Yeah, y’know. In the bedroom?’  
‘Oh,’ Gon thinks he understand now. ‘You mean the goodbye kiss?’  
‘Among others things, yes. But,’ Leorio quickly adds, ‘I _really_ don’t want to hear the other things you have been doing. Like, really. No.’  
The other things he and Killua do in the bedroom? Gon tries to think of any, but so far he and Killua haven’t slept in that many rooms together. There was that one time where Killua fell asleep in Gon’s hotel room back at the Heavens Arena, because they had been practicing their nen so much. But Gon doesn’t need to keep his nen powers a secret for Leorio, right?  
‘Um,’ he starts, but Leorio cuts him off again.  
‘No no no, like I said, don’t start. It was bad enough in the beginning when you two kept giving each other those _looks_ , or that one time where I caught you two in the closet, man, I did not need to see that.’  
‘In the closet?’ Gon tries again. Leorio groans, as if he’s still regretting that day. He sounds really tired, and Gon thinks it’s probably unlikely that he will talk more about what he saw, so they quickly hang up after that.  
  
Gon stares at the phone in his hand. He’d rather not call any of his other friends, since he has a feeling they probably cannot teach him anything new. Leorio and Kurapika are his closest friends after Killua after all, so if they cannot explain it to him he doesn’t know who can.  
  
Gon suddenly sits up. He just thought of the answer. It was so logical. The best person he can talk to about Killua and him is of course Killua himself. Satisfied with this breakthrough, Gon leaps off the couch to make himself something to eat before sitting down again and calling Killua’s number.

Just like Kurapika, Killua answers on the first ring.  
‘Gon?’  
Gon opens his mouth to respond, but something is definitely up with his body, because it suddenly does its _thing_ again. It’s telling him very loudly that he’s happy to hear Killua’s voice. But why wouldn’t he be?  
‘Gon, you okay?’  
Killua sounds worried.  
‘Killua!’ Gon exclaims, ‘Sorry, I’m fine. I was just thinking…’  
Now Killua laughs.  
‘And I’m the first you call when something this unexpected happens?’  
‘Hey!’  
Killua laughs again and Gon feels himself giggle in return.  
He takes a deep breath and the question ‘ _Killua, why are you my valentine?’_ is almost out of his mouth before Gon stops himself and changes his question.  
‘Killua, are you happy?’  
There’s a pause.  
‘Um. I. Um, yeah I guess I am.’  
Gon thinks Killua sounds embarrassed. He smiles.  
‘I’m glad,’ he replies.  
In the silence that follows he can almost hear Killua splutter.  
‘Killua,’ Gon starts again. ‘What happened in the closet, with Leorio?’  
Now Killua definitely splutters.  
‘What?! Why do you ask that? How can you forget?’ he almost half shouts.  
‘I’m just, um, reminiscing?’  
‘Pick a less embarrassing memory then!’  
But Gon will not give up this easily.  
‘No, Killua, I want to talk about this memory.’  
‘Well I don’t!’  
Ah. Gon sighs. He forgot how stubborn Killua gets when he is embarrassed.  
‘Okay, if you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t,’ he gives in.  
There’s a brief silence before Killua mumbles, ‘Well, he caught us making up in the closet.’  
‘Making up?’  
‘Yeah, because we just had that stupid fight that wasn’t really important anyway, but you started making a big deal out of it again, and then we were fighting again, and then Leorio told us to go talk it over in the closet, because we were at his house, so we talked in the closet and then we couldn’t remember why we were fighting and then we made up.’  
He’s glad that they made up, but Gon simply doesn’t understand the situation. At all.  
‘This is too difficult,’ he mutters.  
Somehow Killua catches that.  
‘Why?’  
‘I just don’t understand why Leorio would act so traumatized over us making up,’ Gon says frustrated.  
‘Um, Gon, we were heavily making out in his closet. I’m pretty sure you were taking my shirt off by then.’  
_Oh_ , Gon thinks.  


                                                                                0o0o0o0

  
There’s still a good part of the day left for Gon to think about all the information he has gathered, but when it’s almost evening Gon hasn’t come any closer to figuring out how to solve… this. He doesn’t know when Killua will be home. He doesn’t know how he should get back to his own time. He doesn’t know when the delivery guy will return. He doesn’t know how he got here in the first place.  
All these things he doesn’t know make Gon feel a bit down and restless, so he decides to start preparing for dinner. Working for a while will definitely make him feel better.  
Gon wanted to leave the house this afternoon, but he didn’t want to bump into people that might know things about him that _he_ doesn’t.  
  
If he’s honest, telling Killua the truth would probably be the best. Tell him that this isn’t his time. That he should be somewhere else. Killua will surely help him.  
Just then, the front door opens and a voice calls out: ‘I’m home!’  
‘Welcome back,’ Gon turns around and sees Killua walking into the room, sniffing the air. This is nice, Gon thinks. It’s almost like they’re a family.  
‘Smells good, Gon.’  
‘Ah, yeah, I didn’t know what else to do so I… started cooking dinner.’  
Killua throws his backpack near a chair and walks over to him.  
‘What? You didn’t have anything to do today?’  
He stops in front of Gon, who shakes his head though he, in fact, didn’t know for sure that his day really had been free. He’s about to turn around again to resume his cooking when he notices that there’s something expectant about the way Killua stands in front of him.  
‘Do you want anything?’ he asks.  
Killua jumps and blushes, looking anywhere except at Gon.  
‘N-no!’  
‘Oh.’  
Gon thinks Killua is lying.  
‘I think you’re lying, Killua.’  
Killua looks at his feet, and Gon can see that Killua’s neck is also a bit red. They stand like that for a few seconds, before Killua eventually gives in.  
‘Just give me my kiss, damnit,’ he mumbles, fidgeting in place. He’s still looking at the ground.  
The request makes sense to Gon. Killua gave him a goodbye kiss this morning so it’s Gon’s turn to give Killua a hello kiss.  
But there’s something that’s holding him back. While his body had been so adamant about telling him he’s happy with Killua, it now suddenly locks into place. It frustrates Gon. Why can’t he move towards Killua and give him the hello kiss?  
With a shock Gon realizes that his hands are shaking.  
Then Killua lifts his head, eyes big and cheeks red. He looks concerned.  
‘G-Gon?’  
He knows he’s standing here way too long without doing anything. Stupid. Gon balls his hands into fists, no more shaking he tells himself, and takes a step towards Killua, their noses now practically touching. Before his body can hold him back again, he leans forward and touches Killua’s lips with his own.  
  
It really is a wonderful feeling, this, Gon thinks, and presses his lips more firmly against Killua’s. He understands now why they started giving each other hello and goodbye kisses.  
  
When he leans back and opens his eyes, Killua is smiling at him. It’s a very happy smile.  
  
  
                                                                                0o0o0o0

The rest of dinner, and evening, passes by without any hiccups in Gon’s story or behaviour. While he had planned to tell Killua everything, there was something that kept holding him back.  
Perhaps it’s the way Killua excitedly tells him about his job, and Gon doesn’t want to interrupt. Or it could be the way Killua grasps Gon’s hand after dinner and intertwines their fingers, complimenting him on his cooking. And when they start watching a movie, and Killua pulls him into his arms on the couch, Gon is just so comfortable, that he doesn’t want to ruin it by saying that he doesn’t belong here.  
Because Gon feels, as he leans his head against Killua’s chest, that in a way he _does_ belong here. His mind supplies ‘by Killua’s side’, and while that sounds natural to Gon, he gets that feeling again.  
The feeling that he’s missing something.  
  
It’s when they’re preparing for bed that the weird things start to happen again.  
Killua is taking off his shirt and trousers, tossing them in a hamper without looking, and Gon suddenly feels his body grow very warm.  
He frowns down at it. This older body is very unreliable, he thinks. It wants him to get closer to Killua, and while Gon doesn’t know why he shouldn’t, he’s aware that Killua is still changing.  
Not really knowing what to do about this urge other than to follow it, Gon walks towards his friend, who has just finished putting on pants, and wraps his arms around Killua from behind. Their skin touches and Killua lets out a startled gasp before leaning into the embrace.  
This is nice, Gon thinks, although Killua is a bit cold.  
‘You’re cold,’ he says.  
Killua snorts.  
‘You’re warm.’  
‘Yes,’ Gon sighs, ‘I saw you undressing and then my body started heating up. Weird huh.’  
But Killua doesn’t seem to find this weird. Instead he giggles and turns around in Gon’s embrace so  they’re facing each other.  
‘I don’t know,’ he murmurs, eyes dropping to Gon’s lips for a moment, ‘I think it’s pretty normal to think your boyfriend’s sexy.’  
And everything makes sense.  
All the conversations that he’s had this morning are rushing back to him at once, and Gon’s mind is trying desperately to process it all. Killua, however, doesn’t seem to notice the effect of his words and leans forward to peck Gon softly on the lips.  
‘Unfortunately, I really need to sleep,’ he sighs. ‘I can’t pull two late nights in a row. They’re going to notice my eyebags.’  
Killua walks out of his embrace to pull on his shirt, and Gon can only watch him, absentmindedly dropping his arms to his sides.  
  
‘ _it’s pretty normal to think your boyfriend is sexy.’  
  
_ Looking back, Gon knows it was stupid of him to not think of it before. The concept _boyfriend_ is not a foreign one to him. Mito-san talked about past boyfriends every once in a while, and he has seen enough couples on Whale Island holding hands and kissing. But Gon still has trouble grasping, understanding.  
He quickly changes into his pyjamas and steps into bed, where Killua is already nestling himself in the pillows. His white hair floofs up a bit. Gon thinks Killua is adorable. His boyfriend.  
‘Killua’s my boyfriend,’ he whispers, trying out the words.  
The white floof stops nestling and two blue eyes peek over the covers of the bed.  
‘What?’  
But Gon shakes his head, trying to simultaneously clear his mind of the words that keep repeating themselves in his head. The blue eyes fall close.  
‘G’night Gon,’ Killua murmurs sleepily.  
‘Goodnight Killua,’ Gon replies.  
  
                                                                                0o0o0o0  
  
The next morning, Gon is still a bit surprised to wake up in a soft, comfortable bed with way too many pillows instead of the usual forest or desert ground on Greed Island.  
His second feeling is relief. Why, Gon doesn’t know.  
Turning his head slowly, because he’s still sleepy, he looks out the window and sees the sun rising behind the clouds. It’s very early in the morning then. Gon yawns. No need to be awake.  
When he turns his head back, a tuft of white hair flicks in his face as Killua readjusts his sleeping position on Gon’s chest. Though it tickles, Gon doesn’t dare move.  
His chest feels warm and tingly.  
Without really knowing why, he tightens his grip on Killua, wanting to hold him as close as possible. Then his eyes are closing of their own accord again.  
  
The next time he wakes up, it’s later, and Killua is putting a tray on his bedside table. The tray holds a plate full of waffles, a glass of orange juice and an orange flower. Gon sits up excitedly, because it’s Killua’s homemade breakfast, but it causes Killua to jump and blush furiously.  
‘U-um,’ he stammers, ‘I thought you were sleeping.’  
Gon sees that Killua is fidgeting again, hands clasped nervously behind his back, but he’s not moving away from the bed. He probably wants a goodbye kiss, Gon thinks, so he reaches out and pulls Killua towards him.  
Killua makes a startled sound as their lips meet.  
Gon doesn’t know if he will ever get tired of these kisses, but he doubts it. Especially when, after the kiss, Killua smiles at him like that.  
‘Happy Valentine’s Day, Gon.’  
His answering smile is just as bright, and he notices that this Killua doesn’t stop laughing to stare at him strangely for a while.  
This Killua just smiles back.  
Then the two blue eyes get big, and Killua’s running around the room, exclaiming, ‘My job! I’m late!’  
  
While Killua is freaking out, trying to find all of his things in record time, Gon starts eating his waffles. They’re delicious.  
‘These waffles are really good, Killua,’ he compliments him.  
Instead of replying, Killua slings his backpack over his shoulders and rushes to Gon to give him another kiss. It makes Gon feel giddy.  
‘Two goodbye kisses?’ he teases, ‘Isn’t that a little greedy, Killua?’  
As predicted, Killua’s cheeks get a bit red, but he shouts a defiant ‘No!’ back before he’s running down the stairs, his voice sounding far away as he yells, ‘See you this afternoon!’ and Gon hears the front door close.  
  
After finishing his breakfast, Gon walks downstairs to maybe watch some television when he notices the calendar again. Killua didn’t rip yesterday’s page off. He’s reaching out to tear it off when he suddenly remembers.  
Killua’s valentine’s gift.  
It didn’t arrive yesterday.  
What did the man say? It would arrive yesterday evening or tomorrow morning, something like that. Gon lets out the breath he’s holding. It’s okay, there’s still time.  
  
                                                                                0o0o0o0  
  
There’s not enough time.  
Gon could barely get one bite of lunch through his throat. It’s well into the afternoon now, and the delivery guy hasn’t shown up. What’s he going to do?  
Killua will probably understand, but Gon still jumps when the front door shuts and he hears Killua pulling off his shoes, yelling, ‘I’m home!’  
Gon sits uneasily at the table.  
  
‘Welcome home,’ he replies over his shoulder, as Killua throws his backpack near the chair again and walks straight to the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards for something to eat.  
Gon shifts nervously. It’s probably noticeable.  
And indeed, Killua stops his searching and turns around.  
‘Is something wrong, Gon?’ he asks, immediately concerned.  
‘Um, I,’ Gon tries. He doesn’t know what to say. Telling Killua that he hasn’t got a valentine’s gift suddenly feels like a big deal to him.  
‘I don’t know how to start,’ Gon admits.  
Killua’s reaction is really weird.  
His whole body tenses, and his face goes blank, like Killua has pulled the plug on his emotions, and Gon doesn’t think that’s a good sign.  
There’s silence, and Gon twitches nervously, until he can’t take it anymore.  
‘I don’t have a Valentine’s gift, Killua.’  
Nothing about Killua’s behaviour shows that he heard what Gon said. He’s just staring at him, blankly. Gon feels panic rise in his gut. He can’t read Killua at all right now.  
‘I’m sorry,’ he adds.  
Now Killua responds. ‘Oh.’  
Something feels wrong, but Gon doesn’t know what it is or what he can do.  
‘Are you mad?’ he asks tentatively.  
It takes a few seconds for Killua to answer. His eyes have gained a hard edge.  
‘No.’  
‘Then why are you acting like that?’  
‘Like what?’  
Gon gestures helplessly at Killua.  
‘It’s okay, Gon,’ Killua says slowly, but Gon hears the strain in his voice, ‘You can stop loving someone. It happens.’  
Wait. Wait.  
‘That-‘ Gon starts, but Killua interrupts him. ‘No, really. I expected this. I prepared for this. It’s okay, Gon.’  
And then, without another word, without even looking at him, Killua slowly walks away, and this is not at all what Gon thought would happen. He jumps up, his chair falling to the ground, and walks after him.  
‘No, Killua, listen,’ he tries again, but Killua has already put his shoes on. Gon frantically reaches out to him, heart pounding wildly in his chest.  
This is not what he wants.  
‘Let me explain, Killua!’  
But Killua has always been faster, and Gon grabs air. In a flash, Killua has put on his jacket and is out  the door.  
There’s no goodbye kiss.  
Needing to fix his huge mistake immediately, Gon runs as fast as he can, but before he gets very far, he crashes into a carton box, which yells indignantly, ‘Hey, watch it!’  
Without a further glance, Gon evades the box and runs out on the street.  
There’s no Killua.  
There’s no Killua, and Gon stops running.  
  
The box-man walks over to him and nudges him with a foot.  
‘Can you please sign the sheet?’ the delivery guy asks, ‘I’m getting tired of holding your absurdly large Choco Robot.’  
Gon can’t help it. He starts crying.  
  
                                                                                0o0o0o0  
  
It’s understandable that the delivery guy doesn’t know what to do in this situation. He awkwardly sets down the huge carton box containing an equally huge Choco Robot and pats the crying guy on his back. Three nice pats, that should do it, he thinks.

When Gon feels someone patting his back, he calms down enough to look over his shoulder at the delivery guy from yesterday.  
‘You’re late,’ he accuses him, tears still streaming down his face.  
The delivery guy looks uncomfortable.  
‘Hey, listen, this was a really difficult present to transport. Do you know how breakable it is?’  
Gon shakes his head. No, he didn’t know how breakable it was.  
‘That’s exactly my problem!’ he bawls.  
The guy throws up his hands, trying to calm him down.  
‘H-hey, hey now, is this about the other crying guy that was just running away?’  
Gon nods.  
‘Did you two have a fight?’  
‘No, well, yes, um,’ Gon’s voice wobbles, ‘I don’t know.’  
‘How come you don’t know whether you had a fight?’  
The delivery guy lets out a big sigh, ‘You’re a weird one. Look. If you don’t know what you did wrong, but you’re both crying, then you probably _did_ something wrong.’  
Gon nods, that makes sense.  
‘See?’ the guy pats him on the back again, ‘So go make it right then.’  
Wiping away his tears, Gon tries to pull himself together, but he still feels helpless.  
‘I don’t know how,’ he admits.  
Instead of replying, the delivery guy pushes the huge carton box forward and gestures towards it.  
‘Seeing as you bought him this ridiculous gift, I’d say you love him very much, right?’  
  
And even though the delivery guy says it like it’s an obvious, logical statement, Gon feels that until just a few minutes ago, he actually didn’t know how to answer this question. While it’s clear to him that he loves Killua, the love that this world’s Killua has shown him is a bit different from the one _he_ thought of.  
But, there’s no thought holding Gon back now, and his mind doesn’t supply the phrase ‘of course, because Killua is my best friend!’.  
Because he knows that it isn’t the whole answer to this difficult question, which, really, isn’t a difficult question at all. Because Gon loves Killua, as his best friend and as his boyfriend.  
So Gon nods again.  
  
‘Right,’ the delivery guy continues, unaware of Gon’s huge internal confession, ‘so I don’t think it matters if you don’t know what to do right now. Because I think when you see him, you know exactly what to say.’  
He scratches his head, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden, but Gon beams at him, tears forgotten.  
‘Thank you!’ he exclaims, and runs back towards the house, where his phone and so his only connection to Killua is at the moment. But before he can shut the door behind him, the delivery guy yells, ‘Wait! Your chocolate!’  
  
Together they haul the huge thing inside the now small looking hall of his apartment, and Gon finally signs the papers on the little clipboard.  
‘Thanks.’ The guy sounds relieved.  
Gon looks curiously at him.  
‘What’s your name?’    
This catches the guy by surprise.  
‘Huh,’ he says.  Then, ‘I’m Barry.’   
‘Thank you very much, Barry.’  
Gon smiles and it makes the delivery guy, Barry, uncomfortable, but he smiles back awkwardly nonetheless.  
  
                                                                                0o0o0o0  
  
It was to be expected that Killua doesn’t pick up when Gon calls him, so his next guess is Kurapika, who informs him that Killua isn’t with him and that he, unfortunately, doesn’t know where he is.  
When they hang up, Gon feels a mild panic attack coming, because he suddenly realizes that he’s in another world where things are different from his own, and he also doesn’t know this world’s Killua as good as his own.  
Gon blushes. Killua is not his.  
But, looking at it positively, at least now he knows that he would like that.  
  
Pacing around in front of the calendar for a few minutes, Gon desperately tries to come up with a plan, even though that isn’t his usual approach. Killua was always the one making plans. And apparently, he had also planned what he was going to do when Gon didn’t love him anymore.  
Gon stops pacing.  
Killua is hurt, and he doesn’t want to see Gon right now. Because Killua knows Gon very well, he’ll probably be somewhere Gon doesn’t expect or know of. If it’s the latter, Gon knows he’ll just have to wait. But if it’s the former…  
Gon picks up his phone again.  
  
‘I’m not supposed to tell,’ Leorio whispers, ‘but yes, he’s here.’  
Gon sighs in relief.  
‘Thank you!’  
‘Ssh!’ Leorio hisses.  
But Gon has already put on his shoes, and is sprinting towards the address that Leorio’s whispering through the phone. He isn’t worried about what he’s going to say, he’s just worried about Killua. He doesn’t like it when Killua is hurt.  
So it’s hard for Gon to see Killua standing in front of him with puffy, red eyes, arms crossed and definitely not looking at Gon. Leorio is quietly, or something like it, shuffling out of his hallway. He mouths good luck to Gon and then shuts the door to his living room.  
Gon thinks it’s a small miracle that Killua hasn’t simply run off. Then again, they are a few years older, and Mito-san has always told Gon that running away from your problems is childish and wrong.  
  
Killua’s posture is tense like before, and it makes Gon sad.  
‘I’m sorry, Killua.’  
Killua recoils as if Gon’s words physically hurt him.  
‘I said it doesn’t matter.’  
His voice sounds small, and his words frustrate Gon. He doesn’t even let him apologise.  
‘Yes, it does!’  
‘No,’ Killua grits his teeth, ‘it doesn’t.’  
Gon clenches his hands into fists. Killua is so stubborn.  
‘Stop lying, Killua!’  
Now Killua looks at him. Gon unclenches his fists.  
‘I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry Killua. But I’m trying to make it right, and you’re not helping by lying to me.’  
Killua’s grip on his arms tightens and his voice is barely more than a whisper.  
‘But I don’t want you to make it right.’  
This shocks Gon.  
He asks quietly, ‘Why not?’  
Killua, however, has looked away again. This doesn’t stop Gon.  
‘Why can’t I make it right, Killua?’  
His question is met with silence. Tentatively, he reaches out to touch Killua’s arm, but Killua quickly steps back. He looks angry, and hurt.  
‘Because you’ll try to explain why it didn’t work out or what went wrong or you’ll say that it’s not me, it’s you, and it all doesn’t matter anyway, because you’ll still leave me!’ Killua yells.  
Tears are falling down his face. It hurts Gon to see that Killua’s so convinced of something that’s not true. Wanting to make certain that Killua understands, Gon’s voice is firm as he promises, ‘I won’t.’  
‘I won’t leave you,’ he continues, ‘because you’re my best friend, Killua.’  
Killua lets out a wry laugh and turns away from him again.  
‘Haven’t heard that one in a while.’  
But Gon presses on.  
‘And because I love you. As. As my boyfriend.’  
There’s silence. Killua’s back is still to him, and Gon feels his cheeks heat up. But he’s not embarrassed about his feelings for Killua, and he never will be.  
‘I like that Killua’s my boyfriend,’ he says softly. Saying the words out loud feels nice, Gon thinks, and he smiles shyly at Killua, though he still doesn’t look at him.  
‘I want to make you the happiest you can be, Killua,’ he continues, desperate by now for Killua to respond to him in any way.  
Then Gon notices that Killua’s neck is turning a bit red.  
‘Okay,’ Killua mumbles, sounding unsure, ‘but what did you say sorry for?’  
‘For hurting you!’  
‘No I mean, the first time, when you were sitting at the table.’  
‘Oh,’ Gon says, reluctant to repeat it, ‘because I didn’t have a valentine’s gift for you, because Barry was too late.’  
‘Barry?’  
‘The delivery guy,’ Gon explains seriously. ‘He said it was very difficult to transport such a giant Choco Robot.’  
And finally, finally, Killua turns around.  
To laugh at Gon.  
It starts as a giggle, and turns into a full on laughing fit.  
Gon stares at him, bewildered.  
‘What the hell?’ Killua wheezes, bending over a bit to clutch at his sides.  
Gon pouts.  
‘Yes, it didn’t arrive on time because the Choco Robot I ordered for you had to be custom made and then it was so large that it was difficult to transport.’  
At this Killua starts laughing even harder.  
‘Killua,’ Gon whines, although he’s happy to see Killua laughing, ‘Be serious, I’m trying to make it up to you!’  
The laughing quiets down, and the slow grin that forms on Killua’s face makes Gon’s stomach swoop.  
‘I think we found a better way to make up than this… right?’  
‘Um,’ is all Gon manages as Killua slowly walks towards him. All these different emotions are giving Gon a bit of a hard time catching up.  
Kissing, however, is a thing Gon has quickly come to understand in the last few days, so when Killua wraps his arms around Gon and presses their lips together, Gon closes his eyes and follows his lead.  
But it’s different this time.  
Because this time Killua doesn’t immediately pull back, and Gon doesn’t know what to make of it. His body, however, is giving off a lot of happy signs.  
  
They stumble a bit, Gon’s back hitting something metal. He grunts in pain. Killua pulls back to check what’s wrong, but Gon concludes that Killua not kissing him is a really bad idea, so he puts his hand on Killua’s neck and pulls him forward again. That’s better.  
Reaching behind him, he tries to push the offending metal thing away, only to realise that it’s a door handle. He awkwardly pushes the door open and without breaking contact, they stumble inside a small and dark room. Not that he takes much notice of his surroundings.  
Killua’s hands are on the small of his back, pulling him closer, and Gon’s breath rushes out of him in a small gasp.  
This apparently convinces Killua to stop kissing for a moment, allowing Gon to catch his breath, or at least, that’s what Gon thought but Killua’s head dips forward again and then he’s kissing Gon’s neck and, oh, Gon thinks, that feels different. In a very, very good way.  
He tilts his head back, eyes closing, and blindly reaches for Killua, trying to pull him even closer.  
‘Killua,’ he whispers.  
Killua makes a soft noise in response that Gon thinks is a moan, and kisses his way back to Gon’s lips. Gon immediately leans in, kissing back eagerly, desperately. He feels his body responding, in a way it doesn’t very often, at least not in his own world, but Gon’s mind is hazy from all the kissing and Killua, so he pays it no mind. He wants to touch Killua’s skin, wants to kiss it.  
Then Killua’s hands grab his hips and pull him forward, pulling their lower bodies together, and Gon feels a lot of things that shake him out of his daze a bit.  
Killua is very hard, and he is too, but, he suddenly thinks, it’s not his Killua. It’s this world’s Killua, and while Gon wants to do this someday, he feels it would be wrong to do it without his Killua.  
  
With incredible self-control that Gon didn’t know he possessed, he pulls back slightly.  
There’s silence, except for their heavy breathing.  
‘Killua,’ he whispers, ‘can we slow down?’  
They’re still standing close. It feels nice to be so close to Killua, and there’s a second where Gon regrets his question, but Killua’s nodding, trying to regain his composure.  
‘Yeah,’ he swallows, ‘sure, of course.’  
They stare at each other, eyes having adjusted to the dark, and Gon feels an invisible pull towards Killua’s lips that isn’t really convenient right now, when he’s trying to calm down.  
It doesn’t help that Killua’s lips are still very close.  
Okay.  
More kissing can’t hurt, right?  
And Gon lurches forward again, pressing their lips together and causing Killua to stumble back.  
Killua hits the wall with a thump and then the door is violently ripped open, bright light suddenly flooding the small room, and Leorio screams, ‘Not again! GET. OUT.’  
  
                                                                                0o0o0o0  
  
Back at home Killua immediately rushes towards the giant box, ripping it to shreds in seconds with his sharp nails, exclaiming his undying love for Gon whilst hugging the giant Choco Robot.  
  
Gon smiles, reaching down to pull off his boots when he sees the calendar in the corner of his eye.  
Oh yeah, he remembers, Killua forgot to rip off yesterday’s page.  
Gon tears it off.  
He sees, beside his little scrawled message in black, the tiny and neat handwriting of Killua. The words are written in blue, and they cause Gon’s heart to jump in his chest.  
  
‘ _I love you, Gon.’  
  
_ Ah, Killua’s heart is better.  
  
                                                                                0o0o0o0  
  
The rest of the day is very relaxed, at least for Gon, since Killua went in a small sugar rush after too much chocolate, and in the evening they watch a cheesy, romantic movie together. It’s actually really informative, Gon thinks, as he watches the guy confess in the pouring rain and he watches in amazement. Killua just snorts.  
When the credits roll, Gon feels his eyes getting heavy, the emotional day catching up to him and so he announces that he’s going upstairs to get ready for bed.

Chucking his pants in the hamper, Gon walks towards the wall with pictures again, his eyes immediately drawn to the one where he’s kissing Killua. He now knows how it feels to kiss this world’s Killua, but he can’t help but wonder about his own world. He would like to kiss that Killua.  
For all he knows, though, Killua doesn’t feel that way about him. At all. That’s okay, Gon thinks, though the thought makes him sad.  
It also makes leaving this place a little harder. Because he will eventually go back, but now that Gon knows what it’s like to be Killua’s boyfriend, he’s not sure he’d ever _not_ want to be his boyfriend.  
  
The door opens and Killua walks in, causing Gon to jump in surprise. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t hear him coming at all.  
‘Killua!’ he exclaims.  
Killua freezes, ‘What?’  
‘I’m, um, still changing!’  
Killua’s hovering by the door, looking curiously at Gon.  
‘I can see that. Why can’t I see that?’  
Well, he doesn’t have an answer to that.  
‘Oh no,’ Killua whispers in faked horror, clutching his chest, ‘were you going to dress up for me?’  
Gon gapes.  
‘What? Um, if that’s what you want?’ he tries, but then Killua starts giggling and Gon realizes it was a joke.  
‘Yes, please,’ Killua laughs, ‘I can’t wait to see you as a sexy, but clumsy maid.’  
Gon throws his shirt at Killua, who dodges expertly.  
‘Killua,’ Gon begins, ‘what do you remember about Greed Island?’  
The sudden change of topic doesn’t surprise Killua, who walks over to Gon and looks at the picture of them together with Bisky.  
‘Well, I remember that the cards were pretty cool.’  
‘It’s, uh, it _was_ fun to collect them,’ Gon agrees, looking at the picture as well.  
‘Yeah, and it would’ve been so cool to use them in real life. Like the transportation card, or the gold dust lady,’ Killua grins, ‘or the risky dice!’  
‘No,’ Gon says disapprovingly, turning to him, ‘Killua shouldn’t gamble.’  
‘I know, I know.’  
They’re silent for a while, so Gon puts on his pyjamas because he feels a little cold. Apparently, Killua notices, because he ushers Gon into bed and snuggles right up to him.  
His arms feel nice.  
‘Oh,’ Killua suddenly says, ‘I remember there was this really weird, but cool sounding card. Something about transporting someone to a different world. Imagine that.’  
Gon nods, feeling comfortable and sleepy, but then his eyes fly open as he realizes what Killua has said.  
‘Do you remember more about that card? I didn’t know it existed,’ he asks carefully, or what he hopes is careful.  
‘No, I don’t really remember much. I thought the card worked for a few days, like two, at most.’  
And Gon realizes this may be his last night, in this world, with this Killua.  
Again, there are all these things that he doesn’t know, like how he doesn’t know if his own world’s Killua loves him and he doesn’t know if he will be able to get _this_. The apartment, the amazing relationship, and simply put, a life with Killua, but Gon knows that he will try his best. When he gets back, he will confess to Killua and he’ll continue to be his best friend, even… Gon swallows nervously. Even if Killua doesn’t feel the same way. That would be hard. But, Gon knows, his ultimate wish is for him and Killua to be together forever. In whatever way.  
  
Killua snuggles closer, his head resting on Gon’s chest again, his white hair tickling Gon’s face.  
  
                                                                                0o0o0o0  
  
Gon wakes up on Greed Island, which he can easily tell by the hard ground, the harsh sunlight and the tall trees surrounding him. It’s a different location than he can remember falling asleep in, but it’s Greed Island alright.  
The white mass of hair beside him is still the same view as the one he fell asleep with, but then Gon realizes that he’s back in his own world and in his own world that isn’t really normal.  
He sees Killua sleeping next to him, closer than he usually does, holding Gon’s hand loosely in his own. There’s a frown on his face and Gon smiles. It looks cute.  
He squeezes Killua’s hand, relishing in the feel. He doesn’t need to listen to his body anymore, Gon knows why it’s glowing and humming with happy energy. Because this.  
He threads his fingers through Killua’s.  
This is _right_.    
  
Then Killua stirs awake, probably from Gon’s stare or the tighter squeeze on his hand, and blinks a few times to get the sleep from his eyes. When he sees Gon looking at him, he bolts upright.  
‘Gon!’  
For a few seconds Killua just stares at him, surprised. Then he punches him on the arm.  
‘Moron!’ he exclaims, ‘You were asleep for two days without any reason!’  
Gon smiles apologetically. They are still holding hands, but Killua doesn’t seem to notice.  
‘And we couldn’t wake you up,’ he continues, ‘it was like you were gone from the world or something. It was so freaky!’  
He scowls at Gon and punches his arm again. Gon notices that Killua’s trying to sound light, but his voice sounds like it did in the kitchen, wobbly, like he’s about to cry. Killua was probably very worried.  
But now Gon knows what to do.  
  
He looks Killua in the eyes and says seriously, ‘I’m sorry that I vanished, Killua, and I’m sorry that I made you worry.’  
‘W-what? No!’ Killua splutters, looking away and blushing slightly. But Gon sees the tension in his body lessen.  
‘I think someone used a card on me,’ he explains and at once, Killua is serious again.  
‘That was what Bisky and I thought, yeah. We just didn’t know how to wake you up again.’  
Gon shrugs, not knowing either. Killua looks thoughtful, murmuring something about trying to find out who used the card on Gon and what card it was, and Gon thinks that he should confess to Killua about what happened and… how he feels.  
But his hands get clammy, the one still holding Killua’s as well, and Killua probably notices because he looks back at him and then down at their hands. It only takes a few seconds for Killua to realize that they’ve been holding hands the whole time before he splutters and tries to awkwardly explain, and Gon sees him blushing, feels him pulling away and so he quickly opens his mouth, ‘Killua, I-‘  
‘Sorry Gon!’  
Gon blinks. Killua doesn’t look at him.  
‘I must’ve grabbed your hand in my sleep,’ he mutters, eyes darting from the ground to Gon and back again.  
But that’s not a problem for Gon at all, in fact, it’s more than alright but completely beside the point right now, so Gon tries again, heart hammering in his chest.  
‘That’s okay. Killua, I-‘  
‘No, it’s weird, sorry!’ Killua interrupts him again, hands fidgeting slightly, ‘That’s not what friends do, right? I mean, I think they don’t.’  
There’s a small but sharp feeling stabbing Gon in the chest, and it feels a lot like hurt. He shrugs awkwardly.  
‘I don’t mind,’ he replies.  
Killua stands up.  
‘I’m going to tell Bisky you’re awake so she can examine you.’  
And he’s gone, leaving Gon on the ground.  
He feels frustrated.  
Why does Killua run away so much?  
  
Well, according to Bisky there’s nothing wrong with Gon.  
According to Killua there must still be a threat to Gon’s wellbeing because he keeps looking at him. And while Gon likes Killua’s attention, and Killua himself he adds, it gets frustrating to keep catching Killua’s gaze, trying to smile his most loving smile and then having Killua look almost startled before breaking eye contact.  
So according to Gon there’s definitely something wrong. It must be his smile.  
  
They’re currently comparing tree four hundred two with tree four hundred three to see if it looks anything like this supposed Tree of Plenty, when Killua yells, ‘AAAAAA’ and Gon decides now is as good a time as any to get to the bottom of the horrors behind his smile. He puts a hand on Killua’s shoulders.  
‘Killua,’ he says calmly.  
Killua turns around like a man possessed and whispers, ‘there’s plenty of trees here Gon, why isn’t there a tree of plenty?’  
His eyes dart around him and his voice gets a bit manic, ‘Unless they mean that a tree of plenty is just a forest, or perhaps they don’t mean a literal tree, or, could it be that they want us to find this hybrid fusion of different trees?’  
Gon shakes his friend and says more sternly, ‘Killua.’  
This has the desired effect of Killua snapping out of his tree craze and blinking at Gon in surprise. Gon thinks it’s really sweet how quickly Killua gets serious when he fears something is wrong with Gon.  
  
Now that he’s got his attention, it’s time to test his theory again.  
Gon throws in all his feelings and love for Killua and produces, what he hopes, a beautiful and bright smile.  
But there it is again, Killua looks dazed for a few seconds, then he panics before looking away quickly.  
Gon will not have this.  
‘What?’ he asks, slightly hurt, ‘What is wrong with my smile?’  
Killua looks startled and embarrassed, ‘I, um.’  
‘Does it look terrible?’  
‘Um, no,’ Killua stutters awkwardly and half-heartedly tries to free himself from Gon’s grasp.  
‘So you don’t like my smile?’ Gon presses, hand still holding Killua firmly in place. Killua fidgets and blushes in his grip.  
‘No, Gon, it’s not that, I um-‘  
‘I’m not going to compare tree four hundred twelve and four hundred thirteen on my own guys, come on!’ Bisky yells at them from a distance and this distracts Gon enough to loosen his grip on Killua, who quickly frees himself and walks over to Bisky.  
‘Yeah, yeah, we’re coming!’ he yells, and Gon can hear that Killua’s relieved.  
  
At night, when almost everyone’s asleep, Gon isn’t. His thoughts keep him up, because they’re showing him the behaviour of the other Killua and compare it to his Killua. While they do have things in common, other world’s Killua was more obvious in his affection towards Gon.  
Gon sighs, feeling miserable. His first day back is officially over and it didn’t start off great. If Killua can’t even look at his smile, there’s not really any hope of him having feelings for Gon.  
The stabbing feeling is back, and it hurts his heart. He sighs again.  
Feelings are really complicated.  
‘Pssht, Gon, you awake?’ comes Killua’s whispered voice from beside him, and Gon turns his head. It’s really dark, but he can see that Killua has his eyes closed.  
‘Yeah,’ he whispers back.  
‘I, eh,’ Killua starts, and he sounds a bit embarrassed, ‘I like your smile Gon.’  
It's as if the stabbing feeling has never existed, but instead there has always been this wonderful, warm feeling surrounding him.  
Gon can’t help but smile.  
‘Thanks, Killua.’  
There’s no reply. Gon looks at Killua for a moment longer.  
He suddenly wishes Killua would lie closer to him, snuggling closer like before, and it’s such a strong feeling that he has to close his eyes.  
He has to confess.  
  
                                                                                0o0o0o0  
  
‘Perhaps it’s faster if we split up,’ Bisky announces the next morning. Killua sighs loudly at this.  
‘You don’t mean to tell me that you think searching for a tree in a whole forest of trees for a whole week is, geez, I don’t know, slow?’  
Bisky squints at Killua before continuing, ‘I’ll take the left side and cover the five hundred something trees and you and Gon can take the right side with the eight hundred something trees.’  
‘ _Great_ ,’ Killua says, but he stretches his _great_ really long and Gon thinks Killua might be stretched a bit thin too.  
Gon on the other hand, is really enthusiastic about this plan. While he does still want to find the tree, this would also be the perfect opportunity for him to confess his feelings.  
He swallows nervously at the thought.  
  
Trying to confess to a boy who’s really frustrated about trees is a bit tricky. But Gon is nothing if not optimistic and positive.  
‘We’ll find it, Killua. Don’t give up yet!’  
Killua lets out a long groan, ‘But we’ve been trying and searching for so long!’  
‘Yes, but, sometimes it takes a while for things to be found. But in the end you’re glad that you waited and tried for so long!’  
Gon looks over his shoulder and smiles at Killua. There’s the usual daze, but then Killua smiles hesitantly back.  
‘Right,’ he mutters, ‘I bet Mito-san told you this optimistic crap.’  
Gon marches onwards, investigating trees as he goes.  
‘Yes she did! She said to me: “Gon, good things come to those who wait.” And it’s true.’  
‘How do you know it’s true?’  
Gon thinks about it for a while, thoughts returning to the other world, before replying a bit wistfully, ‘I know that somewhere I’m going to be really happy in four years’ time.’  
‘Huh,’ Killua replies, ‘what’s that mean?’  
And Gon’s ready to confess about his trip to the other world and the possibilities, the happiness, that he saw there, but his heart beats wildly in his chest and his hands are shaking. He stops walking.  
Here goes.  
‘Killua, I need to tell you something.’  
Behind him, he hears Killua’s footsteps falter and then stop. Gon takes a deep breath.  
‘I,’ he starts, but his throat feels tight and it’s suddenly difficult to speak. Desperately searching for his courage, words, something to break the silence, Gon doesn’t notice the tension radiating of Killua now.  
‘Oh,’ Killua says, like he’s getting something, but it sounds so much like the other ‘oh’, the ‘oh it’s okay Gon, people stop loving each other’, that Gon turns around. Killua doesn’t look sad or hurt, and while that’s good, seeing Killua stand a few feet away from him makes Gon feel scared and nervous. The fear of Killua not returning his feelings, of not wanting to be near Gon, is very real. Still Gon wants to voice his feelings, because though they may not be reciprocated, they are important to him.  
‘Killua, I,’ Gon starts.  
‘Is it about what I said last night?’ Killua whispers. He’s looking at the ground now, body tense, shoulders high, and Gon thinks he looks vulnerable like that.  
‘No,’ Gon says, ‘No, Killua, why would that be a problem? We’re best friends.’  
Oh, he’d forgotten how hurt Killua could look. It was only a second, but it was there. That had not been the right thing to say.  
‘Yeah,’ Killua replies.  
‘No, wait, that’s not right,’ Gon starts, but this seems to hurt Killua more visibly, his mouth forming a line.  
‘I mean, it is right, obviously we’re best friends, but that’s not everything,’ he tries to explain, but Killua interrupts him again.  
‘It’s everything to me.’  
Now Gon is quiet. Does this mean, that Killua doesn’t want him as a boyfriend?  
It hurts.  
It hurts and he doesn’t know what to say, and it seems Killua doesn’t either, because they’re both quiet for a while before Killua starts to investigate the trees again.  
Gon knows Killua’s not interested in the trees, but he doesn’t know how to respond to Killua’s rejection, so he just helps him look for the Tree of Plenty.  
They do not find it.

                                                                                0o0o0o0  


When Gon wakes up the next morning, he’s disoriented. It could be because the white fluff of Killua’s hair is partly blocking his vision, or because the morning light is particularly bright today. That probably means he should wake up.  
Gon reasons with himself that he can lie like this for a few minutes longer, so he wraps his arms more tightly around Killua and presses his face against his.  
  
Oh.  
  
This is Greed Island.  
  
The reality comes rushing back to him very quickly, but not quick enough to detangle himself before Killua wakes up. Which he does. Killua’s awake. And then he’s a few feet away, looking panicked.  
‘GOOD,’ Killua yelps, voice higher than usual,  ‘MORNING.’  
Gon sits up.  
‘Good morning, Killua, why are you so far away?’  
‘Well,’ Killua squeaks, ‘I need to, shower, bye.’  
And again, Gon is left on the ground while Killua walks at an awkwardly fast pace towards… Are there showers in this forest?  
‘Killua, are there showers in this forest?’ he yells after him. He doesn’t get a reply, but he’s certain there aren’t and that Killua has heard him but wants to run away from him again, so he continues, giggling, ‘Perhaps Plenty means that the tree also has a shower!’  
The long groan is satisfying.  
  
Just like yesterday evening, they don’t talk about their conversation all morning and Gon suspects that Killua might be avoiding him a little bit. Which hurts, if he’s honest. Waking up this morning, he thought he was back in the world where he and Killua were boyfriends, where they gave each other hello and goodbye kisses and where he could hold Killua close to him. He misses being close to Killua, and that feels sort of weird.  
‘How can I miss him when he’s right here?’ Gon asks himself.  
‘What?’ Bisky asks.  
With a startled yelp, Gon jumps in the air. He hadn’t noticed Bisky standing next to him.  
‘Who’re you missing, Gon?’ she insists, as if it’s really normal to sneak up on people, and Gon supposes that with her skills and personality, it kinda is.  
‘Killua,’ he replies truthfully.  
Bisky makes a thoughtful thinking sound before asking, ‘Did something happen between you two?’  
Gon shakes his head.  
Bisky leans closer to him. ‘Are you sure?’  
‘No,’ Gon confesses, ‘I think maybe something happened. I think Killua thinks that I don’t want to be best friends. But I do! Want to be best friends. I mean, we already are.’  
There’s a pause where Bisky seems to consider his words.  
‘Perhaps,’ she starts, tapping a finger on her chin, ‘you need to show him that you like being together and don’t like being apart!’  
In Gon’s opinion, that’s great advice. Showing someone that you care for them probably works better than telling them anyway.  
‘Nuh-uh,’ Bisky interrupts his thoughts, wagging her finger, ‘whatever you’re thinking Gon, it’s not that black and white. But I do think it’s a good start.’  
She winks at him and Gon smiles back. He’s so glad she’s with them.  
  
He didn’t expect Bisky to do this however.  
‘Gon and I will take the right side today and you’ll take left, Killua,’ Bisky instructs them, and Gon looks at her quizzically. This leaves him with no opportunity today to show Killua that he likes being with him. Unless, Gon thinks, he can show him how he dislikes being away from him.  
Perhaps...  
‘Mkay,’ is Killua’s enthusiastic reply, and he turns to his side of the forest, taking a step towards it when Gon runs up to him, yelling, ‘Wait, Killua!’  
Killua waits, as he normally does when Gon asks him, with his hands in his pockets and his expression slightly sceptical.  
Gon doesn’t want to give Killua, or himself, a chance to think or analyse his plan, so when he reaches him, he just grabs Killua’s shirt and _pulls_. He hears Killua make a startled sound as Gon’s pressing their lips together.  
This plan is brilliant, Gon thinks when he feels the warmth and softness of Killua’s lips.  
His body is humming happily, even more than before as if it realizes that this is the right Killua, and Gon’s fingers grab Killua’s shirt tighter, wanting to be even closer.  
But then he realizes that Killua hasn’t really moved all that much during the first two seconds of their kiss. So Gon presses his lips more firmly against Killua’s, and _now_ Killua reacts, releasing a soft sigh that sounds a lot like the equivalent of the word ‘ _finally_ ’.  
It does funny things with Gon’s heart and he feels like this kiss might end up lasting more than a few seconds if he doesn’t stop it now.  
With an amazing show of self-restraint, Gon pulls back.  
‘You forgot your goodbye kiss,’ he smiles brightly at Killua. Then he walks back towards Bisky, who’s watching them with an amused look in her eyes.  
  
After a minute of walking in silence, observing the surrounding trees, Bisky comments, ‘Did you know that Killua walked into a tree after that?’  
  
                                                                                0o0o0o0  
  
The next day, Gon finds himself alone in the forest, surrounded by plenty of trees as Killua would phrase it.  
He thought his plan had worked, but it seems Killua’s avoiding him even more than before.  
Also, the quickly breaking eye contact is back.  
  
Killua didn’t talk very much yesterday evening and today hasn’t been any better, so Bisky thought it would be best to split up again, but this time she took Killua with her.  
It’s not that Gon minds being alone, but it’s giving his thoughts plenty of time to repeat memories from the other world and after a while Gon misses being close to Killua so much that his mood a little sour by the time he returns to their meet-up point.  
  
If only he knew what to say to Killua. When he’d had a fight with the other Killua, he instinctively knew what to say, but, Gon supposes it had been a lot easier then because he’d also known that Killua had feelings for him. That he loved him.  
Gon puts his backpack down and takes a look at his surroundings. The place they chose to camp has less trees than normal, and thus provides less cover, but there’s a fruit tree nearby and that’s really handy.  
So far he’s the only one here, but then there’s voices coming closer and he recognizes them as Bisky’s and Killua’s. Gon realizes that he just hadn’t heard or seen them yet.  
He blinks.  
It’s the same, he realizes with a jolt. Just because he hasn’t heard about or seen Killua’s feelings, doesn’t mean they aren’t there.  
They might be.  
Because if he’s honest, he knows that Killua loves him. In one of the best ways possible.  
But has Gon shown Killua that he loves him in every way?  
Well, perhaps the goodbye kiss was a bit obvious.  
Gon blushes.  
It could be that Killua loves him too, in every way, and Gon doesn’t know it yet.  
That settles it, they should talk. Gon should talk.  
  
When Bisky and Killua reach him, he has put on his backpack again, determination displayed on his face. Bisky grins at him, but Killua appears nervous.  
Gon takes a step towards him, ‘Killua, we need to talk.’  
Killua nods slightly in return, so he marches off in the other direction. Killua, as he normally does, follows him. When Gon thinks they are far away enough to not be easily overheard by Bisky, well, not that he can really out stealth her but he can try, he turns around.  
Killua immediately stops walking too.  
  
They look at each other for a while, Gon determined and Killua cautious.  
It feels a bit like their conversation after the Choco Robot incident, Gon thinks, and suddenly he has an idea.  
‘Killua, are you happy?’ he asks.  
This catches Killua by surprise, he can tell. He’s now watching Gon with suspicion.  
‘I guess,’ he shrugs. That’s not the answer Gon wants to hear, and it saddens him a little. He wants-, no, he should tell him. Gon takes a deep breath.  
‘I want Killua to be the happiest he can be.’  
It takes about one millisecond for Killua to turn bright red and splutter something, looking at the ground in embarrassment and jamming his hands in his pockets.  
‘Stupid,’ he mutters.  
‘It’s not stupid, Killua,’ Gon replies, ‘and it’s not everything.’  
Killua recognises the phrase from their last conversation and looks up.  
‘I want to make Killua the happiest he can be.’  
Gon feels his cheeks get slightly warmer, but he continues because it’s important to him, ‘if Killua will let me.’  
The wind rustles the leaves of all the surrounding trees and Gon’s glad for something to break the silence. Killua has lowered his head and is looking intently at the ground.  
‘I,’ Killua murmurs, ‘I’m, um, not sure what you mean. What you can do.’  
Gon doesn’t think that’s a rejection, so he takes it as permission to continue.  
‘You’re my best friend Killua, and I l-‘  
Ah, there’s the tricky part again. Gon feels his throat closing, heart hammering and hands shaking. He sees Killua’s eyes widen, disbelief clear. And that’s no good.  
He needs to believe Gon.  
‘and I love you,’ Gon forces out, but it actually feels very light, and it’s not that hard to continue his confession after all, ‘and I want to be your boyfriend.’  
After that, even Gon needs to lower his eyes for a brief moment, scratching his head in slight embarrassment. He feels rather vulnerable right now.  
Killua however, can’t stop staring at Gon. His mouth has opened and when Gon looks up again, he sees Killua trying to form words but failing.  
Gon doesn’t know for sure why Killua has a hard time grasping what he has said, when it suddenly hits him that this Killua is a few years younger. Perhaps he doesn’t know what a boyfriend is.  
‘It’s eh,’ Gon begins, ‘a boyfriend is someone who you can talk to about everything, and who holds your hand, kisses you-‘  
‘I know what a boyfriend is, Gon!’ Killua interrupts him, hands waving frantically at him to stop, blush spreading to his neck.  
Gon continues, ‘cuddles with you when you watch a romantic movie, holds your hand, writes little messages on your calendar-‘  
‘ _Gon_ ,’ Killua hisses, extremely embarrassed, ‘stop!’  
‘celebrates Valentine’s day with you, buys you a custom made Choco Robot, which would be difficult to transport-‘  
‘What?’ Killua asks.  
Gon repeats the last part, ‘buys you a custom made Choco Robot, even though it’s hard to transport.’  
Killua squints.  
‘You’d buy me a custom made Choco Robot?’  
‘I would.’  
Gon can tell that Killua is touched by this, because his cheeks are red again and it looks like there are tears in his eyes. At least now it’s clear to Killua how much Gon loves him. That makes him happy.  
Killua quickly wipes at his eyes.  
‘That’s ridiculous,’ he mutters. Then, ‘I don’t need that to make me happy.’  
Now Gon’s a bit confused as to why Killua’s crying if it’s not because of the Choco Robot.  
‘Stupid,’ Killua repeats softly, and it sounds like permission so Gon walks closer to Killua. He can see the small tears more clearly now.  
Hesitantly, Gon reaches out and wipes one away.  
His hands are still shaking.  
Killua’s looking at him, eyes very blue and, ‘Beautiful,’ Gon says, while he’d only meant to think it.  
Luckily Killua doesn’t look away again, though he blushes furiously, and Gon doesn’t want to close his eyes, but he also wants to kiss Killua. Showing him how much he likes being with him. Before he can lean forward however, Killua, in a very quiet whisper, with disbelief lingering in his gaze, says,  
‘I love you, Gon.’  
Gon’s hand reaches up without his permission, and he places it on Killua’s neck, tilting his face slightly so he can reach him.  
At least he thinks he reached him.  
Better make sure.  
Gon kisses Killua.  
  
This time it doesn’t take a few seconds for Killua to respond. His hands fly up to grab Gon’s back, to bring him closer, and there’s the little soft sigh again. _Finally._  
  
Gon moves his lips over Killua’s, thinking over and over again how much he loves this Killua, how he loves kissing him and holding him and being close to him. Thinking about the fight they’d had, how afraid that Killua had been of Gon leaving, he feels the need to reassure this Killua.  
Against his lips he promises, ‘I won’t leave.’  
Killua’s next sigh sounds like Gon feels after a day of hard work, when his whole body is sore and tense, but then he gets to lie down, and it feels really good to let all the tension go.  
  
Gon’s hand brushes through Killua’s hair, Killua’s hands roam across Gon’s back. His mouth feels soft and warm against his.  
  
After what feels too short, they pull away slightly, needing to catch their breath.  
  
Killua slowly opens his eyes, as if waking from a daze, and looks at Gon. His breath tickles his cheek.  
  
Then Killua smiles brightly at Gon, and Gon feels his heart stop in his chest for a moment, and it’s such an overwhelming feeling that he has to look away for a second to catch his breath.  
  
_Oh_ , Gon thinks.  
  
                                                                                0o0o0o0  
  
When they walk back towards their meet up point, Bisky is there, hands full with different kinds of fruit.  
‘Boys!’ she yells as soon as she sees them, ‘that’s enough work for today.’ She smiles kindly, plopping a grape in her mouth. ‘Let’s eat something together.’  
Gon drops to the ground and chooses two pieces from Bisky’s haul, handing one to Killua.  
‘Thanks for picking some for us, Bisky!’  
Bisky looks expectantly at Killua.  
‘Yeah, yeah,’ he mutters, accepting Gon’s offer and eating in silence. But it’s not long before Bisky starts telling about one of her adventures, and Gon is instantly hooked.  
  
At night, when everyone’s asleep, Gon is too.  
Without announcing it to Killua, he had laid down next to him and pulled him closer.  
‘Let’s cuddle, Killua.’  
Killua had spluttered, blushed, but he’d cuddled close. His white hair had tickled Gon’s face, but that was more than okay with Gon.  
  
It’s the next morning when things get interesting. Gon is really happy that he gets to slowly wake up with Killua lying on his chest. He can tell it makes Killua incredibly awkward and embarrassed from the way he quickly sits up and starts stammering, so Gon gives him his good morning kiss. The hesitant, happy smile he gets in return makes Gon’s heart jump.  
  
Bisky has once again found a lot of fruit, so Gon’s currently eating yet another juicy apple, this time for breakfast, when something occurs to him.  
‘Bisky,’ Gon asks, ‘where did you find this?’  
She offhandedly points to a tree behind her. ‘That one, over there. It has a lot of fruit.’  
Gon squints at the tree. Its branches are loaded with different kinds of fruit. Gon has never seen a tree with different kinds of fruit, and not just one.  
‘But you got so much yesterday, why is there still so much now?’ he asks. Behind him, he can hear Killua drop something.  
Bisky looks up now, and then turns around to study the tree more carefully.  
‘That’s strange,’ she comments, ‘You’re right.’  
‘Don’t-‘ Killua chokes out from behind Gon while Bisky stands up and walks closer to the tree.  
‘Huh?’ Gon asks Killua absentmindedly, watching Bisky pick another piece of fruit. He turns around though, when he hears Killua’s manic laughter. It doesn’t sound too healthy.  
‘Um, Killua, are you okay?’ Gon asks concerned, at the same time that Bisky murmurs something inaudible and the tree disappears with a poof and instead there’s a little card falling from the sky.  
‘It’s a fucking fruit tree?!’ Killua exclaims. ‘A fruit tree? What are we, ye ol’ farmers with our tree of plenty?!’  
And Gon thinks that’s a little funny, but Bisky walks sternly towards Killua, tutting.  
‘Don’t swear!’  
Killua doesn’t listen to reason anymore however. He starts walking around trees, hands occasionally thrown into the air.  
‘All this for a fucking fruit tree!’  
‘Killua!’  
‘Sorry, Bisky,’ Gon starts, smiling innocently, ‘You’ll have to excuse my boyfriend. He’s a bit upset right now.’  
That seems to shut Killua up, who’s covering his face in his hands instead, exclaiming something that sounds like Gon’s name. Gon doesn’t regret it in the slightest.  
  
‘You see Killua,’ Gon explains later that day, ‘it’s actually a pretty cool tree.’  
‘It bears fruit every day.’  
‘Yes!’  
‘That’s not really special, Gon.’  
Gon gasps.  
‘But it is! It gives you something every day, and even when you ask a little much, it’ll still give you all it has the next day.’  
Gon smiles brightly at Killua. To his surprise, Killua looks flustered.  
‘What the matter?’ Gon asks, a bit concerned that he’s said something wrong.  
Killua tries to avoid Gon’s eyes, scratching his head awkwardly, then jams his hands in his pockets. Oh, this Gon recognizes. Killua’s embarrassed.  
‘I guess,’ Killua mutters, ‘it’s a lot like you then, Gon.’  
Killua’s words make Gon feel warm and happy.  
‘Aww, Killua,’ Gon grins, ‘Are you saying that I’m your tree of plenty?’  
Killua jumps, flustered, exclaiming, ‘No, no, no!’  
‘So you didn’t have to look for the tree,’ Gon continues, ‘since I was with you the whole time!’  
Killua groans and shoves Gon away, towards the other trees.  
‘Go stand with your friends,’ he grins back and oh, _now_ it’s on.  
  
‘Ugh,’ Bisky groans, ‘I thought this would be over when they got together. Boys, focus!’

**Author's Note:**

> Wheeeew. That's it. I hope you enjoyed the story, and if you did, it's more than okay to yell at me in the comments! 
> 
> Thank you <3


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